Re: IML: 1960 temperature gauge, was: 1960 Imperial brake bleeding

On 10/23/07, Rob van der Es <r.vdes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi Sjak,

thanks for your answer, but there isn't such a thing as an " idiot light" on a 1960 Imperial.

Problably because these cars were mentioned to be driven by idiots :)

Best Regards,

Rob

----- Original Message -----

From: sjak brak

To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 2:49 PM

Subject: Re: IML: 1960 temperature gauge, was: 1960 Imperial brake bleeding

Possibly, but consider that not every gauge is in the same condition, and vehicles may be in very different driving conditions, different climate etc. A high resistance in the wire to the gage, a worn connector, a slightly stuck gage needle, etc. will all influence the reading. So two cars with the same coolant temperature can have different readings.

But if your material is in good condition, a reading somewhere in the middle is perfectly acceptable on most cars.

If you're not sure, measure the resistance of the wires, check all connectors, etc. Checking the sending unit itself can be difficult, since on older cars, it is almost always stuck and impossible to remove it without permanently damaging it (a replacement is inexpensive btw)

You may want to also check if the overheating warning light ("idiot light") is working properly.

On 10/23/07, Rob van der Es <r.vdes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > wrote:

That is right Sjak,

But maybe other 60 owners can give me an idea what the normal reading on the gauge should be!

Thanks,

Robert

----- Original Message -----

From: sjak brak

To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 12:17 PM

Subject: IML: 1960 temperature gauge, was: 1960 Imperial brake bleeding

In my experience from the speedshop, the original Mopar gauges can often get very inaccurate over the years. This can have various causes.

The only way to correctly check the temperature is to install a calibrated gauge and sending unit. This will not affect the originality of the car, since you can remove it after comparing the readings from the calibrated unit with the one on your dash.

On 10/23/07, Rob van der Es <r.vdes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > wrote:

Thanks for sharing this Richard!,

Your father is absolutely right, you need to adjust the cam adjusters (4 in the front and 2 in the rear) frequently to get a good working braking system.

I have adjusted the way you father described it, and I must say I have a firm pedal that travel only halfway to the floor!

Maybe the other 60 owners, Paul, Tom, Kenyon and Charles can jump in on this and tell us how much pedal travel they have?

And since we are talking about 1960 Imps here, what is the correct reading for the temperature of our cars?

Since the weather is almost freezing cold here, my car doesn't reach normal operating temperature. It just passed the Cold mark on the dial and thats about it. Since it is a Californian car I thought the former owner might have installed another termostat that opens earlier, so I checked it and I was right!

The previous owner installed a 160 degrees thermostat!, I guess to prevent the car from overheating in hot Californian summers.

I now have installed a 180 degrees thermostat (OEM standard temperature) and the needle on the gauge goes higher then ever before! It now stays exactly in the middle of the dial.

Is this correct?

I have never seen the needle climbed that high before, so I am a little worried allthough common sense tells me that the middle of the dial sounds quite good...

Just curious to know the readings on other 1960 owners temperature gauges!

Thanks,

Robert

----- Original Message -----

From: richard burgess

To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ; Kenyon Wills ; Larry Blomburg

Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 2:47 PM

Subject: IML: 1960 Imperial brake bleeding

Hi Folks,

After spending countless hours working on the brakes on my '60 Crown they are finally working properly. I think we bled them entirely three times before getting everything repaired properly. The shop that "restored" my chasis did not double flare the brake lines correctly and had overtightened the flares at the bronze blocks creating distortion and leaks. We ended up replacing all of the lines again and the blocks as well, at the front frame and on top of the axle. The IML web site was helpful but did not really address the issue of pedal going to the floor. See below. Another tip, we elevated our brake bleeding bottle on a small step ladder, that really helped keeep the air from returning to the cylinders during the bleeding process. After all of this my father had this to say:

For Imperial Club under "Repair" , "Brakes", "Brake Bleeding".

The 1960 Imperial and like years brake systems can be perfectly bled and the pedal still go to the floor if the brake shoes are not adjusted to require minimal movement to brake the drum. The bottom line is that with six cylinders to provide fluid too, the master cylinder will be at the end of its stroke (to the floor) before the wheel cylinders have enough fluid (pressure) to push the shoes tight against the drums. Chrysler knew this, as in the Maintenance Manual under "Pedal goes to Floor" you (a) check fluid in master cylinder and (b) adjust for worn linings . The obvious implication is that it does not take much slack at the brake shoes to allow the pedal to go to the floor. With the shoes properly adjusted tight against the drum and just loosened enough to allow the wheel to turn freely you still will not have a firm pedal until you almost reach the floor. That's just the way it is. If you want to see this then tighten all the shoes against the drums and then see how much pedal you have. You cannot see this by pumping the pedal as the strong shoe return springs will push the fluid back out of the wheel cylinders faster than you can stroke the master cylinder. Adjust the shoes properly and frequently and you can get good braking.

Richard Burgess

'60 Crown

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